EAC Supporters Say NO Way – NO Delay

The Productivity Commission has released its report into the National Disability Insurance Scheme this morning.

The full report is more than 500 pages long – so it is going to take a little while to work through all the detail. But there are a few important things you need to know straight away.

The report says the NDIA isn’t meeting the targets agreed to by the Federal, State and Territory governments. In short – the NDIA is not bringing participants into the scheme fast enough. And the PC says that’s not likely to change any time soon.

So the Productivity Commission recommend governments start “planning for a changed timetable” – which is government speak for slowing things down.

The PC also heard loud and clear, from us, how unhappy people are with the planning process. They said that in the rush to bring people into the scheme, quality had been sacrificed for quantity. But we know that trade off is not necessary for the NDIS to work properly.

So the Productivity Commission have made some really detailed recommendations on ways to improve planning – things like getting rid of phone plans, and creating teams of planners with specialised experience in particular types of disability.

Finally, the report said what we all already know: that while the scheme was already making a big difference to lots of people’s lives, the experience was not universal – not everyone was seeing the same benefits.

So what does that all mean?

At EAC we know people with disability want the NDIS rolled out as soon as possible.

People with disability have been waiting many years for support and don’t want to – and should not have to – wait any longer.

We don’t accept that there must be a choice between getting it right and getting done on time. We expect all governments and the NDIA to step up and deliver.

We want the scheme that we fought for – a scheme that listens to people, understands what people need and gives them the support they need to get out and do the things they do want to do. And does all that as soon as possible.

That’s what you told the PC in your submissions – and that’s what we will keep telling governments and the NDIA you want.

There is a lot more detail in the report we know you’ll be interested in – we will post a summary very soon.